Rotary machine



Original Filed July 13, 1925 I; z in 4 a l3 24 z'z'iifl Patented J an. 15, 1929.

UNITED: STATES 1,699,499 PATENT? o -F cE.

CHARLESL. HENDERSON, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, ASSIG'NOR TO ALLIS-CH-ALMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, .WISCONSIN, AL CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ROTARY MACHINE.

Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 43,167, filed July 13, 1925. This application filed. August 13,

1927. Serial No. 212,826;

This invention relates in general to improvements in rotary machines, and relates more specifically toimprovementsin the construction and operation of mechanisms for adjusting the rotor vanes of rotary machines which are capable of either propelling or of beingpropelled by fluid;

An'object of the invention is to provide an improved rotary machine which is simple in construction and eficient in operation. other object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for controlling the operation of rotary machines. A further object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means foreifecting angular adjustment of: the vanes of a rotor, about their axes. These and other objects and advantages attainable'with the present improvements will be apparentfrom the following description.

Some of the novel features of rotor vane adjusting mechanism shown but not specifically claimed herein, form the subject matter of copending applications Serial N 0. 35,517, filed-June 8, 1925, patented J an. 10, 1928, No. 1,656,018, and Serial No. 40,136, filed June 29, 1925, patented Jan. 10, 1928, No. 1,656,017.

A clear conception of anembodiment of the present improvements and of the operation of devices constructed in accordance therewith, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part ofthis specification in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig; 1 is'a central vertical sectionthrough a vertical hydraulic turbine installation including an axial flow rotor having adjustable vanes. r

Fig. 2is an enlarged'fragmentary central vertical section througha portion of-th'e improved turbine rotor and through a fragment of the main shaft thereof.

Fig. 3 is atop view of a portion of the improved vane adjusting mechanism.

6 While the invention is specifically shown and described herein as having. been applied to an axialflow hydraulic turbine installation, it will be apparent that at least some of thefeatures of the improvements are more generally applicable to the rotors of various types of. machines such as pumps, blowers, propellers, steam turbines, etc. The hydraulic turbine unit specifically illustrated tion 5-ofj the hollow main shaft; a main turbine casingG forminga housing for the rotor 2'and also providing avane-free transition space 8- for conducting water from a penstock or flume 14" towardfthe rot0r2 in the form ofavortex advancing-in arr-axial direction; and'a draft tubell for'conducting the water from the rotor 2-tio the tail-race 12 in a well known-manner. I

Thedovetail shaped" radiating vanes 3 of the rotor-2which are four innumber, are pivotally associated with the hub 4-,the-inner extremity of 'eachvane 3 beingprovided'with a plurality of concentric circular bearing portions-18, 19, 20 journaled withinthe hub 4, and the axes ofall of these bearings portions lying in-a commonplane disposed perpendicular totheaxis of therotor- 2. The hub 4 is detachably connected to the lower flange 24- of the main shaft 5, and has an integral central projection 21 within which the vane portions 20 arejournaled; Eachlof the vanes 3 has abevelgear segment 17 formed integral therewith between its bearing-portions 19, 20, the lower hub section being formedv as a continuous piece coacting with the outer side surfaces of all of the gear segments 17in order to retain the vanes 3=against displacement awayfrom the hub 4. Located within the lower hollow section 5 of the turbine shaft, is arr-auxiliaryor adjusting shaft 15 which'besidespassing entirely through the shaft section 5 as illustratedin Fig. 2, also extends downwardly through the central projection 21 of the upper section of'the hub 4.-

cess .45 formed betweenthe flanges 22, 23 or i the lower and upper main shaft sections 5,

perextremity of tlieinternal adjustingsh aft by means of a spline 29, and a worm 27 secured to a countershaft 32 and cooperating with the teeth of the worm wheel 28. The countershaft 32 is retained in position with in bearings in the flange 22 by means of a locking pin 31. A jack screw coacts with screw threads in the upper extremity of the adjusting shaft 15 and with a washer which rests upon worm wheel 28. The worm wheel 28 in turn rests upon a wearing bushing secured to the lower shaft section 5.

The hollow main shaft with which the rotor 2 is associated,is mounted in suitable bearings in the main casing 6 and in the frame of generator 9 or other energy translating device. The casing 6 and the generator 9 are supported upon a suitable foundation struc ture l3 and the casing 6 is disclosed as being provided with an annular series of adjustable guide vanes 7 for, controlling the flow and for properly conducting the water from the flume 14: to the transition space 8.

During normal operation of the unit the vanes 3 are locked to the hub 1 in an adjusted position, and operating fluid is admitted from the flume 14 past the guide vanes 7 and through the transition space 8 to the rotor 2 from which the water is discharged through the draft tube 11 to the tail-race 12. The quantity of operating fluid thus admitted to the rotor 2 may be varied by adjustment of the guide vanes, 7 in a well known manner. The vortex of liquid produced by the guide vane 7 and passing to the rotor 2 from the vane free transition space 8, produces rotation of the shaft sections 5, 26 and of the actuating shaft 15, the rotary motion of the main shaft being trans mitted to the rotor of the energy translating device 9. a

If it is desired to effect angular adjustment of the rotor vanes 13 about their pivotal axes, it is desirable to shut off the flow of operating fluid and to stop the unit. When the rotor 2 is at rest, the vanes 3 thereof may be unlocked by releasing the jack screw 30 with the aid of a wrench inserted through the upper hollow shaft section 26, thereby permitting the internal operating shaft 15 and the pinion 16 to drop slightly and to release the gear segments 17. When the elementshave been thus unlocked, the counter-shaft 32 may i be rotated thus causing the actuating shaft 15 to rotate relatively to the shaft section 5 and to adjust the vanes 3 about their pivotal axes. WVhen proper adjustment of the vanes 3 has been thus effected, the jack screw 30 may again be manipulated to move the shaft 15 upwardly within the shaft section 5 thereby jamming the bevel pinion 16 against the gear segments 17 and rigidly locking the vanes 3 in adjusted position.

It will be apparent that the vane adjusting mechanism is readily accessible from the ex;

terior of the turbine casing 6 and that the our to persons skilled in the art.-

locking device effectively maintains the vane 3 in adjusted position. By placing the adj usting mechanism within the flanges between the main shaft sections 5, 26, a relatively short actuating shaft 15 may be utilized and undesirable projections are avoided. The actuating mechanism within the flanges 22, 23 is relatively simple in construction and is en tirely enclosed, being thus protected against accidental actuation and destruction. It will be understood that ordinarily only slight adjustment of the vanes 3 is desired, but any degree of adjustment may obviously be effectedwith the improved mechanism.

It should be understood that it ;is. not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and operation herein shown and described, for varieusmodifications within the scope of the claims may oc it is claimed and desired to secure ters Patent: Y

1. in combination, a main shaft comprising sections connected by flanges, a vane pivotally associated with said shaft, an adjusting shaft disposed concentrically of said main shaft, and means located betweenand entirely within the bounding surfaces of coacting flanges of said sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect pivotal movement of said vane.

2. In combination, a main shaft comprising sections connected by flanges, a plurality of vanes pivotally associated with a section of said shaft, an adjusting shaftdisposed coaxial with said main shaft, and means located between and entirely within the bounding surfaces of coacting flanges of said sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect pivotal movement of said vanes. H

3. In combination, a main shaft comprising by Letp sections connected by flanges, a hub secured V to one of said sections, a plurality of vanes pivot-ally supported by said hub, and adjusting shaft disposed coaxial with said mainv shaft, and means located between and en-' tirely within the bounding surfaces of coacting flanges of said sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect. pivotal movement of said vanes.

1-. In combination, a hollow main. shaft composed of sections connected by flanges, a plurality of vanes pivotally associated with a section of said shaft, an adjusting shaft disposed within. said section of said main, shaft, motion transmitting means connecting said adjusting shaft and said vanes, and

means located between coacting flanges of said sections and entirely within the bounciing surface of, said section for rotating said. adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said vanes. v j

5. In combmatlon, a hollow main shaft composed of sections connected by flanges, a hub secured to one of said sections, a plurality of vanes pivotally supported by said hub, an adjusting-shaft disposed within a section of said main shaft, motion transmitting means connecting said adjusting shaft and said vanes, and means located between coacting flanges of said sections and entirely within the bounding surface of said sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect simultaneous piv otal movement of said vanes.

6. In combination, a main shaft composed of hollow sections connected by flanges, a plurality of vanes pivotally associated with one of said shaft sections, an adjusting shaft located within the vane carrying section of said main shaft only, motion transmitting gearing connecting said adjusting shaft with said vanes and means located between and entirely within the bounding surfaces of coacting flanges of said main shaft sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said vanes.

7. In combination, a main shaft composed of hollow sections connected by flanges, a hub secured to one of said sections, a plurality of vanes pivotally supported by said hub, an ad justing shaft located within one of said sections of said main shaft only, motion transmitting gearing connecting said adjusting shaft with said vanes, and means located between and entirely within the bounding surfaces of coacting flanges of said main shaft sections for rotating said adjusting shaft relative to said main shaft to effect pivotal move ment of said vanes.

8. In combination, a main shaft composed of hollow sections connected by flanges, a plurality of vanes pivotally associated with one of said shaft sections, an adjusting shaft located within the vane carrying section of said main shaft only, motion transmitting gearing connecting said adjusting shaft with said vanes, and worm gearing located between and entirely within the bounding surfaces of said flanges for actuating said adjusting shaft to effect simultaneous pivotal movement of said vanes.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is affixed hereto.

CHARLES L. HENDERSON. 

